U.S. patent number 7,657,285 [Application Number 11/409,210] was granted by the patent office on 2010-02-02 for information processing apparatus and method, information processing system, and transmission medium.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sony Corporation. Invention is credited to Yoji Kawamoto.
United States Patent |
7,657,285 |
Kawamoto |
February 2, 2010 |
Information processing apparatus and method, information processing
system, and transmission medium
Abstract
When a user gets interested in some music he/she listens to
somewhere, for example, in a coffee shop, the user records that
music in a memory provided in a portable terminal. A processor
reads the information stored in the memory and performs a
predetermined process on it. The resultant information is stored on
a storage device. The information stored on the storage device is
then transferred to a server via a communication device. The server
searches the database for the title of the music corresponding to
the received information, and returns the result to the terminal.
Thus, the user can easily get information about the title of the
music.
Inventors: |
Kawamoto; Yoji (Tokyo,
JP) |
Assignee: |
Sony Corporation (Tokyo,
JP)
|
Family
ID: |
16467601 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/409,210 |
Filed: |
April 24, 2006 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20060189350 A1 |
Aug 24, 2006 |
|
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
09126007 |
Jul 29, 1998 |
7190971 |
|
|
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Jul 29, 1997 [JP] |
|
|
P9-203055 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/556.1;
709/219; 709/217; 455/66.1; 455/344; 455/3.06; 455/3.03 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
16/634 (20190101); H04H 40/27 (20130101); H04H
60/94 (20130101); G06F 16/68 (20190101); H04H
60/73 (20130101); H04M 1/72403 (20210101); H04H
60/58 (20130101); H04H 20/28 (20130101); H04H
60/37 (20130101); H04H 60/27 (20130101); H04H
60/64 (20130101); H04M 1/72442 (20210101); H04W
88/02 (20130101); H04H 60/87 (20130101); H04M
2203/553 (20130101); G10H 2240/091 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04M
1/00 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;455/3.01-3.06,556.1,66.1,344 ;709/217,219 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
60-86932 |
|
May 1985 |
|
JP |
|
61-228795 |
|
Oct 1986 |
|
JP |
|
62-47395 |
|
Oct 1987 |
|
JP |
|
62-267973 |
|
Nov 1987 |
|
JP |
|
63-24786 |
|
Feb 1988 |
|
JP |
|
4-13184 |
|
Jan 1992 |
|
JP |
|
4-40026 |
|
Feb 1992 |
|
JP |
|
6-44752 |
|
Feb 1994 |
|
JP |
|
6-70292 |
|
Mar 1994 |
|
JP |
|
6-274157 |
|
Sep 1994 |
|
JP |
|
7-7483 |
|
Jan 1995 |
|
JP |
|
7-500715 |
|
Jan 1995 |
|
JP |
|
7-36478 |
|
Feb 1995 |
|
JP |
|
7-121556 |
|
May 1995 |
|
JP |
|
8-32538 |
|
Feb 1996 |
|
JP |
|
08-037506 |
|
Feb 1996 |
|
JP |
|
8-97784 |
|
Apr 1996 |
|
JP |
|
8-123818 |
|
May 1996 |
|
JP |
|
8-127187 |
|
May 1996 |
|
JP |
|
08-138357 |
|
May 1996 |
|
JP |
|
08-147948 |
|
Jun 1996 |
|
JP |
|
08-306124 |
|
Nov 1996 |
|
JP |
|
08-306170 |
|
Nov 1996 |
|
JP |
|
8-307374 |
|
Nov 1996 |
|
JP |
|
9-102827 |
|
Apr 1997 |
|
JP |
|
9-503636 |
|
Apr 1997 |
|
JP |
|
09-138691 |
|
May 1997 |
|
JP |
|
10-116472 |
|
May 1998 |
|
JP |
|
10-163988 |
|
Jun 1998 |
|
JP |
|
Other References
The Korean Herald (hereinafter "KH" (Internet-only TV station
begins service, The Korean Herald (XBF), Jul. 10, 1997, p7), and
further in view of Yoshinobu et al (U.S. No. 5,686,954). cited by
other .
MPR (National Public Radio, "talk of the Nation Science Friday With
Ira Flatow", posted in 1998, 9 pages, retrieved from
http//web.archive.org/web/1998
1206192442/www.npr.org/programs/scifri/on Jan. 13, 2005). cited by
other .
Tomkins, Michael, "Digital Photography News Archive!", Jun. 1998,
pp. 1-10. cited by other .
Pentcheff, Dean, "Re: Time Stamp on video recording", LISTSERV
service at SUNET, Mar. 16, 1996, pp. 1-2. cited by other .
ISO 3901, International Standard Recording Code (ISRC), First
Edition, Nov. 1, 1986, 1-4. cited by other .
Nikkei Electronics, No. 683, February 24, 1997, pp. 149-162. cited
by other .
Nikkei Electronics, No. 684, March 10, 1997, pp. 153-168. cited by
other .
W. Bender et al., "Techniques for Data Hiding," IBM Systems
Journal, vol. 35, No. 3 & 4, 1996, pp. 313-336. cited by other
.
ConneXus Corp., Press Release: "CD Receives Patent for Interactive
Technology: Government Awards Process Patent for CD's Revolutionary
Broadcast Interface System," Aug. 1, 2000, PR Newswise. cited by
other .
Yu, Raymond, "Digital Cameras: The Basics", Dec. 13, 1997, pp. 1-6.
cited by other .
Ryuji Kubozono, et al., "A Study on "Indexed-by-Music" Information
Retrieval System", Proceedings of the 1995 IEICE General
Conference, 1995, p. 290 (with English translation). cited by other
.
"Broadcasting Technologies, Magazine specializing in transmission
and reception technologies", Hohsoh-Gijutsu (Broadcasting
Technologies), vol. 44 No. 9, 1991, pp. 895-899 (with English
translation). cited by other .
Rodger J. McNab, et al., "Towards the Digital Music Library: Tune
Retrieval from Acoustic Input", Proceedings of the first ACM
international conference on Digital libraries, Mar. 20-23, 1996,
pp. 11-18. cited by other .
Toshikazu Fukushima, et al., "Multimedia Retrieval Technology",
NEC, Information Technology Research Laboratories, C&C Reseach
Laboratories, vol. 48, No. 1, Jan. 25, 1995, pp. 241-244 (with
English Abstract). cited by other .
Asif Ghias, et al, "Query By Humming Musical Information Retrieval
in An Audio Database", Proceedings of the third ACM international
conference on Multimedia, Jan. 1995. cited by other .
Tetsuya Kageyama, et al, "Melody Search-Retrieving Music DB by
Humming-", C&C Information Technology Research Labs., NEC
Corp., vol. 48, No. 1, 1995, pp. 4-149-4-150. cited by other .
Yasuhiro Tsuji, et al, "Local Patterns of A Melody and Its
Applications to Retrieval By Sensitivity words", Technical Reports
of IEICE, vol. 96, No. 565, Mar. 6, 1997, pp. 17-24. cited by other
.
Tetsuya Kageyama, et al, "A Melody Retrieval Method with Hummed
Melody", IEICE Technical Report, vol. J77-D-II, No. 8, Aug. 25,
1994, pp. 1543-1551. cited by other .
Tomonori Kaizuka, et al, "Music Retrieval System Using Keys
Providing The Melody Information of a Voice and The Text
Information of A Song", National Convention lecture memoirs (2),
Mar. 12, 1997, pp. 1672, 2-277-2-278. cited by other.
|
Primary Examiner: Dean; Raymond S
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier
& Neustadt, L.L.P.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a divisional application of Ser. No.
09/126,007 filed Jul. 29, 1998 (now allowed) and claims priority to
Japanese Application No. JP 09-203055 filed Jul. 29, 1997.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An information processing apparatus configured to exchange
information with a portable type information processing apparatus,
comprising: means for receiving information from said portable type
information processing apparatus; means for judging whether the
information received via said means for receiving includes a music
identification code in a predetermined form, which is extracted
from an audio signal captured by a microphone of the portable type
information processing apparatus; and means for transmitting
information including at least a title of music indicated by said
music identification code to said portable type information
processing apparatus when said judgment means judges that the
information includes the music identification code.
2. A method of processing information with an information
processing apparatus configured to exchange information with a
portable type information processing apparatus, said method
comprising: receiving information from said portable type
information processing apparatus; judging whether the received
information includes a music identification code in a predetermined
form, which is extracted from an audio signal captured by a
microphone of the portable type information processing apparatus;
and transmitting information including at least a title of music
indicated by said music identification code to said portable type
information processing apparatus when the received information is
judged to include the music identification code.
3. An information processing system including a portable type first
information processing apparatus and a second information apparatus
adapted to exchange information with said first information
processing apparatus, wherein said first information processing
apparatus comprises: a microphone configured to capture audio data;
means for storing the audio data captured via said microphone;
means for acquiring information associated with the audio data
stored in said means for storing on the basis of a music
identification code, which is extracted from the audio data
captured by the microphone and stored in said means for storing;
and means for displaying the information acquired; and said second
information processing apparatus comprises: means for receiving
information from said first information processing apparatus; means
for judging whether the information received via said means for
receiving includes said music identification code; and means for
transmitting information including at least a title of music
indicated by said music identification code to said first
information processing apparatus when said means for judging judges
that the information includes the music identification code.
4. A method of processing information in an information processing
system including a portable type first information processing
apparatus and a second information apparatus adapted to exchange
information with said first information processing apparatus,
wherein said first information processing apparatus performs a
process comprising: capturing audio data at a microphone of the
first information processing apparatus; storing the captured audio
data; acquiring information associated with the stored audio data
on the basis of a music identification code extracted from the
stored audio data; and displaying the acquired information; and
said second information processing apparatus performs a process
comprising: receiving information from said first information
processing apparatus; judging whether the received information
includes said music identification code; and transmitting
information including at least a title of music indicated by said
music identification code to said first information processing
apparatus when the received information is judged to include the
music identification code.
5. An information processing apparatus configured to exchange
information with a portable type information processing apparatus,
comprising: a communication device configured to receive
information from said portable type information processing
apparatus; and a processor configured to judge whether the
information received via said communication device includes a music
identification code in a predetermined form, which is extracted
from an audio signal captured by a microphone of the portable type
information processing apparatus, wherein said communication device
transmits information including at least a title of music indicated
by the music identification code to said portable type information
processing apparatus when the received information is judged to
include the music identification code.
6. An information processing system including a portable type first
information processing apparatus and a second information apparatus
adapted to exchange information with said first information
processing apparatus, wherein said first information processing
apparatus comprises: a microphone configured to capture audio data;
a memory configured to store the audio data captured by the
microphone; a circuit configured to acquire information associated
with the stored music data on the basis of a music identification
code extracted from the audio data stored in said memory; and a
display configured to display the information acquired via said
circuit; and said second information processing apparatus
comprises: a communication device configured to receive information
from said first information processing apparatus; and a processor
configured to judge whether the information received via said
communication device includes said music identification code,
wherein said communication device transmits information including
at least a title of the music indicated by the music identification
code to said first information processing apparatus when the
processor judges that the information includes the music
identification code.
7. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first information
processing apparatus is incorporated into a cellular telephone.
8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first information
processing apparatus is incorporated into a cellular telephone.
9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitted
information also includes at least one of a singer's name, a
composer's name, a songwriter's name and a genre.
10. A method according to claim 2, wherein the transmitted
information also includes at least one of a singer's name, a
composer's name, a songwriter's name and a genre.
11. A system according to claim 3, wherein the transmitted
information also includes at least one of a singer's name, a
composer's name, a songwriter's name and a genre.
12. A method according to claim 4, wherein the transmitted
information also includes at least one of a singer's name, a
composer's name, a songwriter's name and a genre.
13. A system according to claim 6, wherein the transmitted
information also includes at least one of a singer's name, a
composer's name, a songwriter's name and a genre.
14. A storage medium readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a
program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method
steps for information exchange between a portable type information
processing apparatus and another information processing apparatus,
said method comprising: receiving information from said portable
type information processing apparatus; judging whether the received
information includes a music identification code in a predetermined
form, which is extracted from an audio signal captured by a
microphone of the portable type information processing apparatus;
and transmitting information including at least a title of music
indicated by said music identification code to said portable type
information processing apparatus when the received information is
judged to include the music identification code.
15. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the storage medium is
at least one of a floppy disk and a CD-ROM.
16. A storage medium readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a
program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method
steps for information exchange between a portable type first
information processing apparatus and a second information
processing apparatus, said method comprising: said first
information processing apparatus performs a process comprising:
capturing audio data at a microphone of the first information
processing apparatus; storing the captured audio data; acquiring
information associated with the stored audio data on the basis of a
music identification code extracted from the stored audio data; and
displaying the acquired information; and said second information
processing apparatus performs a process comprising: receiving
information from said first information processing apparatus;
judging whether the received information includes said music
identification code; and transmitting information including at
least a title of music indicated by said music identification code
to said first information processing apparatus when the received
information is judged to include the music identification code.
17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the storage medium is
at least one of a floppy disk and a CD-ROM.
18. An information processing system including a portable type
first information processing apparatus and a second information
apparatus adapted to exchange information with said first
information processing apparatus, wherein said first information
processing apparatus comprises: a microphone configured to capture
audio data; means for storing the audio data captured via said
microphone; means for acquiring information associated with the
audio data stored in said means for storing on the basis of a music
identification code, which is extracted from the audio data
captured by the microphone and stored in said means for storing;
and said second information processing apparatus comprises: means
for receiving information from said first information processing
apparatus; means for judging whether the information received via
said means for receiving includes said music identification code;
and means for transmitting information including at least a title
of music indicated by said music identification code to said first
information processing apparatus when said means for judging judges
that the information includes the music identification code.
19. An information processing system including a portable type
first information processing apparatus and a second information
apparatus adapted to exchange information with said first
information processing apparatus, wherein said first information
processing apparatus comprises: a microphone configured to capture
audio data; a memory configured to store the audio data captured by
the microphone; a circuit configured to acquire information
associated with the stored music data on the basis of a music
identification code extracted from the audio data stored in said
memory; and said second information processing apparatus comprises:
a communication device configured to receive information from said
first information processing apparatus; and a processor configured
to judge whether the information received via said communication
device includes said music identification code, wherein said
communication device transmits information including at least a
title of the music indicated by the music identification code to
said first information processing apparatus when the processor
judges that the information includes the music identification
code.
20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the information
processing apparatus is incorporated into a cellular telephone.
21. An information processing apparatus used in a search system
including a search server, comprising: a microphone configured to
capture audio data; means for storing said audio data captured via
said microphone; and means for transmitting a music identification
code extracted from the audio data captured by said microphone and
stored in said means for storing to said search server.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the microphone is configured
to capture a designation identifying whether the audio data is a
radio broadcast or a television broadcast.
23. An information processing apparatus used in a search system
including a search server, comprising: a microphone configured to
capture audio data; a memory configured to store said audio data
captured via said microphone; and a communication device configured
to transmit a music identification code extracted from the audio
data captured by said microphone and stored in said memory to said
search server.
24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the microphone captures a
designation identifying whether the audio data is a radio broadcast
or a television broadcast.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing method
and apparatus, an information processing system, and a transmission
medium, and more particularly, to an information processing method,
apparatus, system, and transmission medium that allows a user to
store information in which a user becomes interested regardless of
where the user is and that allow the user to acquire information
associated with the stored information on the basis of the stored
information.
2. Description of the Related Art
When one watches a television program or listens to a radio
program, he/she often wants to know the title, the name of the
singer, or other information about music being played in the
program.
In the FM radio broadcasting, a "visual radio" is known in the art
in which available spaces between the carrier frequencies are used
to transmit textual information about the music being broadcasted
in the main programs so that listeners can get the information
about the music. In the case of ground wave television
broadcasting, the listeners can download the information about the
music being broadcasted, using an intercast.
However, different terminals depending on the broadcasts are needed
to get information about the music, such as the title or the
singer's name. This limits the situation or environment in which
the user can get the information. For example, it is practically
impossible to get associated information when the user is
outdoor.
In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to
provide a technique to quickly and easily acquire associated
information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided
an information processing apparatus comprising: capture means for
capturing information; memory means for storing information
captured via the capture means; acquisition means for acquiring
information associated with the information stored in the memory
means on the basis of the information stored in the memory means;
and display means for displaying the information acquired via the
acquisition means.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided an information processing method comprising the steps of:
capturing information; storing the information captured in the
capture step; acquiring associated information on the basis of the
information stored in said storage step; and displaying the
information acquired in said acquisition step.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a transmission medium for transmitting a program
comprising: capturing information; storing the information captured
in the capture step; acquiring associated information on the basis
of the information stored in said storage step; and displaying the
information acquired in said acquisition step.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an information processing apparatus comprising:
reception means for receiving information from a portable type
information processing apparatus; judgment means for judging
whether the information received via the reception means includes
an identification code in a predetermined form associated with the
information; and transmission means for transmitting information
associated with the information indicated by the identification
code to the portable type information processing apparatus,
depending on the judgment result made by the judgment means.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an information processing method comprising the steps
of: receiving information from a portable type information
processing apparatus; judging whether the information received in
the reception step includes an identification code in a
predetermined form associated with the information; and
transmitting information associated with the information indicated
by the identification code to the portable type information
processing apparatus, depending on the judgment result made in the
judgment step.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a transmission medium for transmitting a program
comprising the steps of: receiving information from a portable type
information processing apparatus; judging whether the information
received in the reception step includes an identification code in a
predetermined form associated with the information; and
transmitting information associated with the information indicated
by the identification code to the portable type information
processing apparatus, depending on the judgment result made in the
judgment step.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an information processing system including a first and
second information processing apparatus, wherein said first
information processing apparatus comprises: capture means for
capturing information; memory means for storing information
captured via the capture means; acquisition means for acquiring
information associated with the information stored in the memory
means on the basis of the information stored in the memory means;
and display means for displaying the information acquired via the
acquisition means; and the second information processing apparatus
comprises: reception means for receiving information from the first
information processing apparatus; judgment means for judging
whether the information received via the reception means includes
an identification code in a predetermined form associated with the
information; and transmission means for transmitting information
associated with the information indicated by the identification
code to the first information processing apparatus, depending on
the judgment result made by the judgment means.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an information processing method characterized in that
a first information processing apparatus performs a process
comprising the steps of: capturing information; storing the
information captured in the capture step; acquiring associated
information on the basis of the information stored in the storage
step; and displaying the information acquired in the acquisition
step; and a second information processing apparatus performs a
process comprising the steps of: receiving information from the
first information processing apparatus; judging whether the
information received in the reception step includes an
identification code in a predetermined form associated with the
information; and transmitting information associated with the
information indicated by the identification code to the first
information processing apparatus, depending on the judgment result
made in the judgment step.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a transmission medium for transmitting a program in
accordance with which the first information processing apparatus
performs a process comprising the steps of: capturing information;
storing the information captured in the capture step; acquiring
associated information on the basis of the information stored in
the storage step; and displaying the information acquired in the
acquisition step; and the second information processing apparatus
performs a process comprising the steps of: receiving information
from the first information processing apparatus; judging whether
the information received in the reception step includes an
identification code in a predetermined form associated with the
information; and transmitting information associated with the
information indicated by the identification code to the first
information processing apparatus, depending on the judgment result
made in the judgment step.
In the portable type information processing apparatus according to
one aspect of the invention, information is captured and the
captured information is stored so that information associated with
the stored information can be acquired on the basis of the stored
information and the acquired information is displayed.
In the information processing apparatus according to one aspect of
the invention, information is received from a portable type
information apparatus and it is judged whether the received
information includes an identification code in a predetermined form
associated with the information. Depending on the judgment result,
information associated with the information indicated by the
identification code is transmitted to the portable type information
processing apparatus.
In the information processing system according to one aspect of the
invention, the first information processing apparatus performs the
process comprising the steps of: capturing information; storing the
captured information; acquiring associated information on the basis
of the stored information; and displaying the acquired information;
and the second information processing apparatus performs the
process comprising the steps of: receiving information from the
first information processing apparatus; judging whether the
received information includes an identification code in a
predetermined form associated with the information; and
transmitting information associated with the information indicated
by the identification code to the first information processing
apparatus, depending on the judgment result.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of an
information processing system according to the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of the
terminal shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process of storing
information;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of
information incorporated into music;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the process of acquiring
detailed information;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another process of storing
information;
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating another process of acquiring
detailed information; and
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating another example of the
construction of the terminal shown in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Before describing the preferred embodiments of the invention, a
description of the aspects of the invention is first given in which
an example of element corresponding to each means is described in
parentheses following the description of the means. However, it is
not intended to limit the means to those described. Herein, the
term "system" is used to describe a total system including a
plurality of apparatus, devices, and/or means.
The portable type information processing apparatus according to one
aspect of the invention includes capture means (for example step
S11 in FIG. 3) for capturing information; memory means (for example
step S14 in FIG. 3) for storing information captured via the
capture means; acquisition means (for example step S21 in FIG. 5)
for acquiring information associated with the information stored in
the memory means on the basis of the information stored in the
memory means; and display means (for example step S24 in FIG. 5)
for displaying the information acquired via the acquisition
means.
The acquisition means of the portable type information processing
apparatus according to one aspect of the invention includes
transmission means (for example step S21 in FIG. 5) for
transmitting the information stored in the memory means to another
information processing apparatus; and reception means (for example
step S24 in FIG. 5) for receiving the associated information from
another information processing apparatus described above.
The acquisition means of the portable type information processing
apparatus according to one aspect of the invention, includes
storage means (for example information storage device 61 shown in
FIG. 8) for storing the acquired information.
The information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the
invention, includes reception means (for example step S21 in FIG.
5) for receiving information from the portable type information
processing apparatus; judgment means (for example step S22 in FIG.
5) for judging whether the information received via the reception
means includes an identification code in a predetermined form
associated with the information; and transmission means (for
example step S29 in FIG. 5) for transmitting information associated
with the information indicated by the identification code to the
portable type information processing apparatus, depending on the
judgment result made by the judgment means.
In the information processing system according to one aspect of the
invention, the first information processing apparatus comprises:
capture means (for example step S11 in FIG. 3) for capturing
information; memory means (for example step S14 in FIG. 3) for
storing information captured via the capture means; acquisition
means (for example step S21 in FIG. 5) for acquiring information
associated with the information stored in the memory means on the
basis of the information stored in the memory means; and display
means (for example step S24 in FIG. 5) for displaying the
information acquired via the acquisition means; and the second
information processing apparatus comprises: reception means (for
example step S21 in FIG. 5) for receiving information from the
first information processing apparatus; judgment means (for example
step S22 in FIG. 5) for judging whether the information received
via the reception means includes an identification code in a
predetermined form associated with the information; and
transmission means (for example step S29 in FIG. 5) for
transmitting information associated with the information indicated
by the identification code to the first information processing
apparatus, depending on the judgment result made by the judgment
means.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the construction of an
information system according to the present invention. A server 15
includes a database 10 storing detailed information. A
communication device 30 is an apparatus by which a terminal 35 and
the server 15 can communicate with each other via a network 20
including telephone lines or private lines.
In the case where a PHS (Personal Handy-Phone System) or a PDC
(Personal Digital Cellular) or the like is employed to realize the
terminal 35, the terminal 35 itself has the communication
capability and thus the communication device 30 is not
necessary.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of the
terminal 35. This terminal 35 includes a communication device 40
that makes it possible for the terminal to directly communicate
with the server 15. A display device 41 indicates various kinds of
information. An input/output device 42 includes a microphone for
inputting music or other information, a loudspeaker for outputting
music or other information, and buttons used to operate the
terminal 35. A controller 43 controls various elements of the
terminal 35 and is realized, for example, with a CPU (Central
Processing Unit). A memory 44 is realized, for example, with a RAM
(Random Access Memory) and serves to temporarily store information
input via the input/output device 42.
A processor 45 includes a filter for reducing noise contained in
the information stored in the memory 44 and also includes a circuit
for extracting desired data from the information. The information
processed by the processor 45 is transferred to a storage device
46. The storage device 46 stores the information received from the
processor 45 and also information received via the communication
device 40. The storage device 46 may be realized with either a
removable storage medium such as a floppy disk or a fixed storage
medium. The constituent elements described above are connected to
each other via a bus 47.
The operation of the terminal 35 shown in FIG. 2 is described below
with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3. We assume herein
that a user carrying a terminal 35 happens to hear some music, for
example, in a coffee shop and gets interested in that music.
In step S11, the input/output device 42 of the terminal 35 is
operated. The input/output device 42 includes a recording button
which is pressed by a user to record music and also includes a
microphone for inputting music. If this button is pressed in step
S11, then music is input via the microphone.
In step S12, the controller 43 records, into the memory 44, the
music input via the input/output device 42 when the recording
button is being pressed. In such a situation, the music may be
directly recorded in the memory 44 or a tune whistled or hummed by
the user may be recorded.
In step S13, the processor 45 reads the music data from the memory
44 and performs a predetermined process on it. More specifically,
noise included in the music data recorded in the coffee shop is
suppressed first. After suppressing the noise, a series of data
shown in FIG. 4 is extracted from the music data if such a type of
data is included in the music data.
The series of data 51 consists of a plurality of frame 52 each
including the same contents. The reason why a plurality of frames
52 including the same contents are incorporated into the music data
is because it is impossible to predict when the user records music
on the terminal 35 and thus it is required that the data be
available whenever music is recorded.
Each frame 52 consists of a starting code 53 and a music
identification code 54. The music identification code 54 is a
number uniquely assigned to particular music. The starting code 53
indicates the data position at which the music identification code
54 starts. The processor 45 of the terminal 35 detects the starting
code 53 from the extracted series of data 51, and then detects the
music identification data 54 following that. The detected data is
transferred to the storage device 46 and stored thereon.
In the specific example shown in FIG. 4, the starting code 53 is
OxFEDC and the music identification code 54 is 01010122222.
The series of data 51 can be incorporated into music using a data
hiding technique. The data hiding technique is reviewed, for
example, in Nikkei Electronics, No. 2-24 (1997), pp. 149-162 and
also in No. 3-10, (1997), pp. 153-168. This technique has some
variations depending on whether the data is hidden using phase,
echo, or sound difference. The processor 45 should include a
circuit adapted to the specific data hiding technique so that the
series of data 51 incorporated in music is corrected extracted.
If the data hiding technique is used, it is possible to incorporate
all information representing the title of music, the name of the
singer, the name of the album and other items associated with the
music. However, if a great amount of information is incorporated
into music, then the music contains a great amount of noise
component. This problem can be avoided by limiting the information
incorporated in music to only the information identifying the music
whereby the music can be retrieved later using that information.
For example, the music identification code 54 may be represented in
accordance with the ISRC (International Standard Recording Code)
established in 1986 (ISO3901). For further information about the
ISRC, refer to IS03901 or the ISRC Operation Standard issued by
Recording Industry Association of Japan. In the ISRC, a particular
code is assigned to each music so that any music can be identified
by the ISRC. Each ISRC consists of a string of 12 alphanumeric
characters.
Each recording company provides information such as the title,
singers name, composer's name, songwriter's name, genre, etc.,
associated with the ISRC. Therefore, if such information is stored
in relation to the ISRC in the database 10 (FIG. 1), then it
becomes possible to retrieve detailed information associated with
desired music using the ISRC. In the following description, it is
assumed that the music identification code 54 is represented by the
ISRC.
In the case where an ISRC is detected in step S13, the processor 45
transfers, in step S14, the detected ISRC to the storage device 47
and stores it thereon. On the other hand, if no ISRC is detected in
step S13 (that is, if no ISRC is incorporated in music), the
processor 45 transfers, in step S14, music to the storage device 47
and stores it thereon. As a result, the music containing no noise
or the ISRC is stored in the storage device 46 (hereinafter the
information stored in the storage device 46 is referred to as raw
information). Information representing the date and time when the
above information is stored is extracted from the timer provided in
the controller 43. The extracted date/time information is
transferred to the storage device 46 and stored thereon together
with the raw information. Alternatively, by operating the
input/output device 42, the user himself/herself may input
information representing the date and time when he/she listened to
the music so that the date/time information is stored together with
the raw information on the storage device 46.
When the user records music, if the user inputs via the
input/output device 42 information about the medium (for example,
television, radio, etc.) in which the music is played, then that
information is also stored together with the music. Although it is
not necessarily required that the user should input this
information, the information can also be used to identify the music
if it is stored.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the process of acquiring
information associated with the music on the basis of the raw
information stored in the storage device 46. This process starts
when the user operates a particular button of the input/output
device 42.
In step S21, the controller 43 of the terminal 35 transmits one of
the raw information stored on the storage device 46 from the
communication device 40 to the server 15 via the network 20.
In step S22, the server 15 determines whether the received raw
information includes an ISRC. If no ISRC is included, that is, if
music (melody) itself is received, the process goes to step S23 and
music expected to have the same melody as the received music is
searched for from the database 10. The information such as the
title, the singer's name, etc., associated with the retrieved music
is transmitted to the terminal 35.
If the received music includes additional information about the
date/time or the media, the information is used in the retrieval.
For example, the additional information includes "January 1", "8
a.m.", and "television", then the music file of the database 10
including music broadcasted on television, 8 a.m., January 1 is
searched. This causes the search to be narrowed and thus a smaller
number of candidates are retrieved in a shorter time.
In step S24, if the controller 43 of the terminal 35 receives
candidates from the server 15 via the communication device 40; the
controller 43 displays them on the display device 41 and waits for
the user to select one of the received candidates via the
input/output device 42.
In step S25, the controller 43 transmits a candidate selected by
the user to the server 15. In step S26, the server 15 retrieves
detailed information corresponding to the received candidate from
the database 10 and transmits it to the terminal 35. This detailed
information includes the music itself.
In the terminal 35, the received music data is supplied to the
input/output device 42 and output via the loudspeaker. In step S27,
the user listens to the music and judges whether the music is
desired one. The user inputs the judgment result to the terminal
via the input/output device 42. The controller 43 performs a proper
process depending on the information input via the input/output
device 42. More specifically, if the user judges that the music is
not the desired one and inputs the judgment result via the
input/output device 42, then the controller 43 returns the process
to step S24 and again displays the candidates on the display device
41. In this case, the candidate whose detailed information has
already been received is displayed in a color different from the
color for the other candidates or is not displayed at all.
Steps from 24 to 27 are performed repeatedly until the user gets
detailed information associated with the desired music.
On the other hand, if the user judges in step S27 that the music is
the desired one and inputs that judgment result via the
input/output device 42, then the controller 43 stores the detailed
information received on the storage device 46.
If the server 15 determines in step S22 that the received raw
information is an ISRC, then the process goes to step S29. In step
S29, the server 15 retrieves detailed information corresponding to
the received ISRC from the database 10 and transmits it to the
terminal 35.
The process then goes to step S28, and the controller 43 stores the
received detailed information on the storage device 46. In this
case, the title of the music is displayed on the display device 41.
The detailed information transmitted from the server 15 to the
terminal 35 includes not only music data but also other information
such as the title of the music. In the case where only the title of
the music is required, only the title may be transmitted.
The above-described process of acquiring the detailed information
is started when the user properly operates the input/output device
42. In the case where the storage device 46 includes two or more
pieces of raw information, the process from step S21 to step S29 is
performed for each raw information and the process is repeated
until all pieces of raw information are replaced with the
corresponding detailed information.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts illustrating another method of
acquiring detailed information. First, in step S31 shown in FIG. 6,
the input/output device 42 of the terminal 35 is operated and music
is input via it. In step S32, the controller 43 temporarily stores
the input music in the memory 44. Then in step S33, the processor
45 reads the music from the memory 44 and suppresses noise
contained in it. Furthermore, the processor 45 extracts an ISRC
therefrom. In step S34, the controller transmits the extracted ISRC
or the music (raw information) itself to the server 15.
In step S35, the server 15 determines whether the received raw
information includes an ISRC. If no ISRC is included in the
received raw information, that is, if music (melody) itself is
received, the process goes to step S36 and music expected to have
the same melody as the received music is searched for from the
database 10. The candidates (associated information) obtained as a
result of the retrieval is transmitted to the terminal 35.
In step S37, the controller 43 of the terminal 35 stores all
received candidates on the storage device 46.
On the other hand, in the case where the server 15 determines in
step S35 that the received raw information includes an ISRC, the
process goes to step S38. In step S38, the server 15 retrieves
detailed information corresponding to the received ISRC from the
database 10 and transmits it to the terminal 35. In the terminal
35, the detailed information received is, in step S37, stored on
the storage device 46.
The above-described process from step S31 to S38 is performed each
time the user records music.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the process of acquiring
detailed information from candidates stored on the storage device
46. The user can, at any time when the user wants, operate the
input/output device 42 of the terminal 35 so as to start the
following process. If the command to start the process is given,
the controller 43 of the terminal 35 retrieves candidates from the
storage device 46. The controller 43 displays the retrieved
candidates on the display device 41 and waits for the user to
select one of them via the input/output device 42. Steps from S42
to S45 following the above process are similar to those from S25 to
S28 shown in FIG. 5, and thus they are not described here in
further detail.
Although in the above-described embodiments communication between
the terminal 16 and the server 16 is performed via the network 20,
communication may also be performed in any another way.
Furthermore, instead of the ISRC system, information incorporated
into music may also be represented by any other code system.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating another example of the
construction of the terminal. This construction is similar to that
shown in FIG. 2 except that the communication device 40 is replaced
with an information storage device 61. The information storage
device 61 stores detailed information associated with music.
Therefore, it is possible to get detailed information by searching
the information storage device 61 without having to communicate
with the server 15. The information storage device 61 may be
realized using, for example, an IC card that may be removably
attached to the terminal 35. A plurality of information storage
devices may be prepared so that each information storage device
includes detailed information categorized by singers, genre, etc.
Therefore, it is possible to get detailed information in any
desired category by attaching a proper card to the terminal. The
information stored in the information storage device 61 may be
updated via the network 20 or other communication media at proper
intervals such as every week, every month, etc.
The terminal 35 shown in FIG. 2 or 8 may further have the
capability of giving a notice to the user if the same music is
recorded twice or more times on the storage device 46. This
capability allows the user to find his/her favorite music.
Although in the embodiments described above it is assumed that the
information recorded on the terminal 35 is music, the present
invention may also be applied to any other type of information.
A program used to perform the above-described process may be stored
on a storage medium such as a floppy disk or a CD-ROM and
distributed to users. Alternatively, the program may also be
distributed to users by transmitting the program via a transmission
medium such as a communication network thereby storing the program
on user's hard disk or memory.
As can be understood from the above description, the present
invention has various advantages. That is, in the information
processing apparatus according to one aspect of the invention, the
user can acquire information associated with the information stored
by the user. This allows the user to easily and quickly obtain
desired information.
In the information processing apparatus according to one aspect of
the invention, the information stored by the user on the portable
type information processing apparatus is transmitted to another
information processing device, which in turn returns information
associated with the received information to the portable type
information processing apparatus. This allows the user to easily
and quickly to obtain desired information.
In the information processing system according to one aspect of the
invention, the information processing method according to one
aspect of the invention, and the communication medium according to
one aspect of the invention, the second information processing
apparatus retrieves the information associated with the information
stored by the user on the first information processing apparatus,
and transmits the resultant information to the first information
processing apparatus. This allows the user to easily and quickly to
obtain desired information.
* * * * *